I have acquired many reclaimed solid clay bricks and plan to use them as a patio. I will likely lay them in a herringbone pattern. The edges will be side-by-side held in place with plastic edging. Similar to this:
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My question is… should I leave a gap between the pavers to allow for expansion and/or to allow for a sand-filled joints? If so, how much gap should I leave and what would you recommend to use to keep the gaps uniform?
Best Answer
Yes, you should leave a small gap, but not for the reasons you are asking.
You will be concerned with evenness. Reclaimed bricks won't have a chamfer on the edges the way paving bricks will, so small differences in your sand bed will be very noticeable to feet and patio furniture.
Your gap size will be mostly aesthetic, but wider gaps will make your bricks less stable. To space it, just use anything that is the right size, e.g. scrap wood or screws, and fill in your joints every few feet.